Alternate Assessments Based on Alternate Achievement Standards

Policy, Practice, and Potential

Authors: William Schafer, Robert W. Lissitz, Ph.D.

Discover what really works in alternate assessment based on alternate achievement standards. This book gathers cutting-edge knowledge and best practices in seven states to help readers work toward accurate assessment of students with severe disabilities.

Product Details:

• STOCK NUMBER: 70373
• ISBN: 978-1-59857-037-3
• COPYRIGHT: 2009
• PAGES: 408
• AVAILABILITY: Available Stock

This comprehensive book is the first to gather today's best knowledge about alternate assessments so professionals can act quickly to shape the future of this rapidly developing field.

An urgently needed resource for assessment developers, researchers, policymakers, special education directors, and students in graduate-level courses in both special education and assessment, this book is a rigorous investigation of the challenges, recent successes, and key components of assessing alternate achievement standards. Top assessment experts show readers:

• What we know about alternate assessments. Readers will start with the foundational knowledge they need for effective development and implementation. They'll learn how to determine which students should take alternate achievement standards assessments, what these assessments should measure, how to align assessments with state standards, and how to set standards for and evaluate the success of these unique assessments.
• What's working today in states across the country. Diverse examples of programs from seven states—complete with insightful commentary from the experts behind the programs—give readers an inside look at approaches such as skills checklists, portfolios, and performance tasks. Includes in-depth information on program development and technical data.
• What we need to know going forward. Today's most prominent experts come together to give readers clear direction for future efforts. Developers and evaluators will discover what new knowledge they should expand in the next few years, and they'll get specific take-away ideas they can use to ensure validity, reliability, and documented success in alternate assessments.

With this big-picture examination of one of the most critical new topics in education, researchers and practitioners will work together toward alternate assessments that accurately pinpoint the strengths and needs of students with severe cognitive disabilities—so their teachers can help improve academic outcomes for all students.

Reviews

Gregory J. Cizek, Professor of Educational Measurement and Evaluation, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill:
"With its wealth of information about current practices across numerous states and the thought-provoking issues for the future raised by the authors, I believe that this book will immediately become the go-to resource for information about alternate assessments."

Sheryl Lazarus, National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO), University of Minnesota:
"A groundbreaking text by the leading experts on alternate assessments based on alternate achievement standards."

Patricia Almond, Courtesy Research Associate, Center for Advanced Technology in Education, University of Oregon:
"Some of the best knowledge in the country on this topic . . . The principal issues and concerns raised over the last decade are addressed and thoughtfully considered."

Volume Editors: William D. Schafer, Robert W. Lissitz Ph.D.
Foreword Author: Martha L. Thurlow Ph.D.
Chapter Authors: Douglas G. Alexander Ph.D., Joseph Amenta, Peter Behuniak Ph.D., Diane M. Browder Ph.D., Dianna Carrizales-Engelmann Ph.D., Charles A. DePascale Ph.D., Stephen N. Elliott Ph.D., Steve Ferrara Ph.D., Melissa Fincher M.S., Claudia Flowers Ph.D., Sharon E. Hall, Kristopher J. Kaase Ph.D., Jacqueline F. Kearns, Martin D. Kehe, Ryan J. Kettler Ph.D., Harold L. Kleinert, Jane Kleinert Ph.D., CCC-SLP, Scott F. Marion Ph.D., Lorin Mueller Ph.D., Marianne Perie Ph.D., Rachel F. Quenemoen M.S., Susan L. Rigney, Andrew T. Roach Ph.D., William D. Schafer, Suzanne Swaffield, Gerald Tindal Ph.D., Elizabeth Towles-Reeves Ph.D., Shawnee Y. Wakeman Ph.D., Daniel J. Wiener